Education Minister Rabbi Rafi Peretz took part Monday in the Etgarim and Social Action Conference of the Jewish Home Party in Lod, where he referred to the necessary unification of the right-leaning parties.
"I spoke to Shaked this morning about the importance of creating unions. We have a responsibility for the entire Right-leaning bloc. The Jewish Home Party has always been united, and this time we'll do the same. I'll meet with Ayelet Shaked as soon as possible, and there's no doubt that together we'll find a way to unify the forces together while preserving the image of religious Zionism," said Rabbi Peretz.
He called on all Right-leaning parties: "I call on all the partners on the Right, including members of Otzma Yehudit, to sit down for negotiations and close. We mustn't relate to the background noises all around, it's time to show responsibility for the Rightist government. We'll make a great effort to combine forces while preserving the image of the religious Zionist movement and the continuation of the centrality of Jewish Home in the emerging list of Right-leaning parties."
According to him, any discussion regarding recommending a Prime Minister or candidate other than Netanyahu is superfluous: "Any other support or any other idea could lead to a Left-wing government that would leave religious Zionism outside and we won't let that happen."
How would Jewish Home fit into a future union? "There's a party, there's a movement that represents values and ideals, and it must be represented properly. The movement has existed for 130 years, it's gone through difficult crises, it's been able to get on its feet and be rehabilitated. Parties rise and fall, but we're here - it will have to be reflected in the Knesset list. This isn't a personal matter, it's a matter of values, not giving up the ability to consolidate all the religious Zionist voters around us," concluded Rabbi Peretz.